Pointless
by twilight-freak7
Summary: Zuko, with the help of Mai, has a plan to leave the Fire Nation for a well deserved break. But when his plan backfires, Zuko finds himself locked away in prison, shunned by the Fire Nation. Now, Zuko makes the ultimate choice and the consequences are bad.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is set around book 3 in Avatar. I'm sorry if this story sucks. It's my first go at any fanfiction ever so please forgive me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender **

**Zuko, with the help of Mai, has a plan to leave the Fire Nation for a well-deserved break. But when this plan backfires, Zuko finds himself locked away in prison, shunned by the Fire Nation. As a second attempt to leave the Fire Nation, not for a break, but to join the Avatar, Zuko finds to be away from the people you love really is pointless.**

Chapter one – The Leave

Katara looked into her brother's dark brown eyes. "We have to help him! Aang's helped us so much and without doubt, you wouldn't be standing here with me if we hadn't met him!" Sokka scoffed.

"You think I can't fend for myself?" Sokka snapped. "Are you calling me weak?"

"No. I'm calling you arrogant selfish and –" Sokka was surprised as his sister jabbed him in the chest with a finger, " – weird!"

"I'm the weird one, am I? The ones who associate with water are the weird ones! I personally think they are the weakest benders! If you had been born a leeetle earlier, I guess you'd be an airbender just like Aang." This obviously offended Katara because Sokka found himself being doused with cold water.

"You are sick! I always do everything! I always do all the chores at home! And this time, I've had enough!" Katara turned away from her brother.

* - * - * - *

"I can't believe I'm helping you escape the Fire Nation," said Mai, folding up a warm cloak and tucking it away like the rest of the luggage.

"And _I_ still can't believe you're helping me," replied Zuko. "Thanks Mai, this really means a lot to me."

"Well," Mai sighed and turned around so Zuko couldn't see the tear that dropped down her face. Zuko could obviously hear the hesitation and he stopped filling his food supply. "I'll miss you. I really will," Mai said, more tears dripping down her face. Very rarely would she express herself.

"Don't worry," said Zuko as he wrapped his arms around her. "It's almost sunrise already. I think you should go back o your room in case anybody gets suspicious." Mai just held Zuko tighter and didn't move. Then the door to the room burst open with a bang and Mai felt a surge of heat come past her left ear. There was a silent cursing and this time, Mai felt the surge of heat coming towards her back. Zuko threw her aside just in time and waved the fire off with his hand. Standing at the door scowling was no other than…

"Azula," growled Zuko with hatred. "What are you doing?" Azula smirked and leant against the doorframe.

"Nothing much."

"Nothing much? You almost killed Mai!" yelled Zuko, his fists clenched tightly. Azula entered the room, followed by two heavily muscled men.

"My dear brother, it wasn't on purpose I assure you. My men were just protecting me," said Azula. The men flexed their muscles.

"Right," snorted Zuko. "Oh I see the joke in coming into other's rooms and setting fire to the first thing you see."

"Absolutely right Zuko. Speaking of which, I have been alerted of the … escape you intend to pull off tomorrow."

"What?" Zuko said incredulously. "How did you find out?" He stole a glance to Mai, who was just as confused as he.

"Don't feel guilty Zuko," smirked Azula. "I sat outside your room last night and managed to get until now without you noticing."

"Since you know about my plan, why aren't you going to turn me in?" asked Zuko. Mai got up hesitatingly and joined Zuko's side. Her hands reached into her sleeves as she stared at Azula. Azula suddenly screeched out loud with laughter. She didn't stop for a long time.

"Turn you in? And flaunt my only change of becoming the only child?"

"What do you mean by 'the only child'?" said Zuko aggressively.

"Father will worship me after I take the useless burden, you, off his shoulders!" Azula crouched into a position, ready to fight. Zuko's next words were painful, but he knew it was true.

"He will already – tomorrow, when he finds out that I've escaped," he said. Azula laughed again.

"I am beginning to understand why father calls you a coward," she said bitterly. Then she raised a hand quickly and shot lightning at her brother. Zuko stepped back in shock as the lightning missed him by inches. Azula gave a twisted smile and nodded to her men. They nodded back and rounded on Mai.

"Leave her out of this!" Mai has got nothing to do with it!" Zuko yelled.

"I'm afraid you've got it wrong, brother," said Azula coolly. "She's got everything to do with it." Azula moved so that she was behind her brother and whispered, "_We _know you can't marry her. _She_ knows you can't marry her. And most of all, _you_ know you can't marry her." Zuko knew Azula was right. His choice of marriage had to be first agreed on by his father and Zuko doubted any kind of appraise for him and Mai. With a roar, Zuko clamped Azula's throat tightly in his hand. "Going to kill me, Zuko?" she asked.

"The easy way," growled Zuko, pushing his sister against the wall. His hand closed tighter around Azula until he heard two grunts and a whimper.

Mai was in the hands of one of the men; the other had a knife in his arm but held up a sword to her neck nonetheless. Mai scowled, she was holding a dart in her hand and struggled against the man's strong hold. The sword was pressed so hardly into her neck, Zuko could see some blood starting to trickle down Mai's neck. "Release Mistress Azula," said a man, "or the girl dies." Zuko looked at Mai, then at Azula. Sighing, he slowly unclamped stiff fingers from her neck. Zuko watched the men release Mai and she ran into his arms. Azula did not thank her men for saving her neck but instead looked at Zuko with disgust and left.

"Zuko," said Mai. "You really didn't have to save me there. I – "

"But I did, okay?" said Zuko hotly. "I did and that's over now!" Then Mai found herself in a crushing hug with Zuko. "You're important to me and I can't afford to loose you. Promise me you'll keep yourself safe while I'm gone."

"I-I promise," said Mai, clearly still shocked.

* - * - * - *

"Wait Katara!" called Sokka. "I understand how you feel about me being a jerk and I don't blame you for that!"

"Whatever," Katara said bluntly. She continued checking that her boat was still in good condition. "Oh great," she muttered as she found a gaping hole at the bottom. "I've never used this boat before! I don't understand." Sokka looked guiltily at Katara. "Now don't tell me you're the one that did this," she snapped.

"I didn't mean to!" Sokka said as he chased after his sister again. "I took it out for a ride after _my_ boat broke and we kind of … well, the point is, the boat's broken and we can't fix it." Katara rolled her eyes and walked away. Sokka found her sobbing on a rock. "Hey. Don't cry," he said softly. I'll get you another boat, how's t hat?"

"It's not the boat I care about! It's Aang!" Katara burst.

"What?" Sokka said, confused. "You mean he's your boyfriend? How much did I miss out on? When did it start? Oh man! No one ever bothers telling me anything – "

"Stop Sokka! You're thinking about this the completely different way! Aang's not my boyfriend. What I meant is, I care about _saving_ Aang." Sokka looked suspiciously at the waterbender.

"Just remember I'm watching you two from now on," he said and went off. _Me and Aang? _Thought Katara ridiculously. _It would never work out._

* - * - * - *

Aang was put forward roughly and made to kneel. "The Avatar, sir." Aang could tell many eyes were on him.

"This si the Avatar? A mere boy?" asked an ancient voice.

"Yes, sir. The Avatar was found in the company of two people, a girl and a boy. The girl is a waterbender and the boy is untalented. I suspect they are siblings. It seems they come from the South Pole, the Southern Water Tribe which is sister tribe of the Northern Water Tribe."

"Very good. Bring him up here," the ancient voice rasped again. Aang's shoulders were being steered tightly up the stairs, his head forced to keep low by a cord so he couldn't see his surroundings. Aang was dumped on the floor. "Yong, I want you treat the Avatar better."

"Sir, we are not clear if he is an impostor yet."

"I will see that for myself." The hands released Aang's shoulders. "You may stand, the legendary Avatar!" Aang got up to his feet awkwardly since his hands were bound behind his back. The ancient man laughed. "Toto, release him!" with a flapping of wind, Aang felt something heavy and feathery land on his arm. The rope holding his neck snapped and Aang looked up just in time to see a brightly coloured bird flying onto an old man's shoulder. The man wore long yellow robes and was very short. The old man's face was filled with wisdom. "You've finally joined us, Avatar. May I ask for your name?" Aang wasn't listening; he stared below him where several metres of stairs were laid out in a spiral design. Aang gulped. The old man patiently repeated the question.

"My name's Aang. May I ask who you are?"

"I, along with the people you will find in this area, am The Avatar Guardians. A great ancestor of mine who lived a long, long time ago used to be in love with an Avatar. He met her in a little Water Tribe village. The Avatar was a waterbender. It was very much like love at first sight. The Avatar fell in love with my ancestor and vice versa. Not long after they met, a baby was on the way for the young lovers. They were very happy. After the little child was born, the Avatar headed out to from the Water Tribe village to get some food for the little baby but some hunters mistook her blue garments for a sign of danger and shot her down. My ancestor was not happy.

"He refused to do things for days, even weeks! He sat inside his room thinking until … aha! … He had a great idea. My ancestor gathered all his friends and willing volunteers and joined them together to make The Avatar Guardians. And as you know, the position of head of The Avatar Guardians have been passed down from father to son, father to son. For the first twenty years of my leadership, no sign of any Avatar was found. We did everything we could. We sent out searches and looked for clues. Every Avatar Guardian was worried. We thought the Avatar cycle was broken."

Aang cocked his head thoughtfully to the side. "How long has this group been running? How come I never heard of it?"

"We like to keep ourself a secret, Aang. Avatar Roku come here himself when he was a youngster. The Avatar Guardians are a very ancient group. We've been running for several centuries. Now, which bending are you yet to learn?"

**I'm sorry. I thought that was a good place to end the story. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Here comes chapter two my readers! Beware at what I throw at you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar – The Last Airbender**

**Chapter two – As you wish**

Just as Azula had said, the Fire Lord was not alerted about Zuko's plan to escape the Fire Nation. Zuko and Mai became closer as the night for Zuko's departure came about. "Keep yourself safe and don't use your food supply too quickly," Mai said for about the sixth time already. If Zuko were talking to another person other than Mai, he probably would've yelled at them by now. But Mai was different. She was naturally the only one who could keep Zuko from his temper problems. The prince sighed and admired how much his girlfriend cared for him. Mai leaned on Zuko's shoulder and the two stared at the moon.

"There's exactly three hours until midnight. Three hours left of this palace and most of all, there's three hours left of you."

"Before you go, there's something I want to give to you." Mai pulled something out from her sleeves and handed it to Zuko, who took it gratefully. Zuko held a black case in his hands. Writhing patterns were engraved on the side in the softest silver. Zuko opened the case to find a highly expensive dart. The point, and blade of the dart was gold and gleamed brightly in the moonlight. In the centre of the dart was a glass grip with the letters 'Zuko' etched in it. At the back of the dart were two short strips of red ribbon.

"I bought it ages ago in hope to use it for dart throwing but the dart was so beautiful, I couldn't bring myself to use it. It's been stuck in my drawer for two years now. It deserves to be with someone special and that is you." Zuko smiled. "I bought the dart back to the shop to make a few changes, including getting your name engraved on it."

"Thanks Mai. I can't tell you how much I like it." The two leaned in for a kiss. When they broke apart Zuko said, "And I've got something to give to you aswell." Mai looked confused as Zuko told her to stay in the room while he got her present for her. When Zuko returned, he was holding a snugly wrapped package. Mai looked curiously at it. "Here," he said. "I've been waiting to give you this for a long time." Mai took the package and opened it carefully. Under the wrapping, a beautiful box came into view and Mai gasped. Slowly, as if she was scared what the box contained, Mai flipped the lid opened and what she saw made her heart thump. Mai lifted a necklace from the box. It was silver and had a diamond dangling from it.

"It's lovely Zuko!" she exclaimed. "Where did you get it from?" Zuko looked away.

"Here. Just let me put it on for you." Zuko gently took the necklace from his girlfriend's hands and put it on her neck from behind.

"You still haven't told me where you got it from," Mai challenged. Zuko looked away once again.

"It was my mother's."

"Oh Zuko…" said Mai, making a movement to remove the necklace. Zuko caught her hand and made her face him.

"Look, I want you to have it. I love you enough to let it go." Mai nodded understandingly. She observed the clock and let out a deep breath as she realised it was only an hour and a half until Zuko left. Sensing Mai's hesitation, Zuko stole a glance to the clock as well.

"I have to get my things ready now," said Zuko dismissively. He brought his many bags beside the door. Mai was not crying but may as well have been. Her heart ached with uneasiness but loosened a bit as she saw Zuko tuck the dart she gave him into one of his bags.

"How long will you be gone?" she asked.

"From three to four months," came the reply. Mai suppressed the urge drop her jaw. She knew Zuko would've been gone for a while and she was thankful it wasn't a year.

"Three to four months? And have you figure out what you're going to tell your father when you come back?" Mai asked. Zuko scratched his head.

"I'm not sure to be honest."

"Why don't you tell him you were out hunting then the tide caught you and swept you away to an isolated island?" offered Mai. Zuko shrugged.

"That's a good suggestion but I'll think about the rest on my break."

"Zuko," said Mai and walked over to stand beside him, one hand on his shoulder and the other on his arm. Zuko touched Mai's hand where she held his shoulder. She turned his face towards her so that Zuko had to look at her. "Please, please, _please_, and I can't stress this anymore, be careful." Mai bit her lip in effort to hold back her tears. Zuko noticed this and hugged her. Mai didn't return the hug but allowed Zuko to rock her body back and forth. No tears fell, much to Mai's amazement.

"Look Mai, it's alright. I understand you're worried but there's no need to break down. I'll be gone for a few months and as soon as you know it, I'm back!"

"I know. I was being silly. I guess it really is your time to go." Zuko glanced at the wall where the clock hung. He gave Mai a final hug and pressed his forehead against hers. Then he turned to leave. Mai shook her head. "Wait! Zuko!" the young man turned away from the door and was surprised when Mai kissed him. "I wasn't going to let you go without a final mark," said Mai with a smirk and finally, let her boyfriend go. Mai pondered with much thought, how Zuko had changed. He was described by many people to be bad tempered and stubborn. Mai thought they were lies.

The fifteen-year old girl returned to her room and tried to get the most of sleep while she could.

* - * - * - *

Zuko was thrown roughly into a prison by a heavily armoured guard. "Why not The Boiling Rock, your majesty?" the guard asked the Fire Lord.

"Because," said Ozai irritably, "I believe he is more dangerous there than here, especially in my presence."

"Well you're wrong about that!" Zuko fired up, his shaggy hair waving around his face. Zuko ran as close to the prison bars as he could and glared at his father.

"Oh look. Our little prisoner has awoken."

"I don't fear you," Zuko growled. Ozai smiled wickedly. "And why aren't you ashamed?"

"Ashamed of what?"

"Ashamed that you never treated your children like a real father."

"Well, I couldn't say so. At least not to a once banished prince! Look at your sister Azula. Does she look like she'll leave the palace any moment? No. It's just you, Zuko. Speaking of shame, the only reason why I should feel shame is because of you!" the Fire Lord then left. A little later, a soldier arrived and announced that Zuko had a visitor.

"Tell them to go away!" Zuko hissed and threw a rock at the soldier.

"I don't quite know how to react to that," said Mai, out of nowhere. The soldier she said, "You may leave us." Her wishes were obeyed.

"What are you doing here, Mai?" Zuko took her hands through the prison bars.

"To visit you, of course. When they old me you were imprisoned, I couldn't let you stay in here alone. Now, we're going to find a way to get you out of – "

"You better take those words back before I have you thrown into a prison as well!" said a voice snidely. Azula stepped out into the light and smirked.

* - * - * - *

Aang blinked. "I still have to master Fire," he replied. The short man started laughing.

"That's very coincidental because our only earthbending teacher and firebending teacher happen to be lovers and left two months ago for a vacation."

"Then what do I do?" asked Aang.

"You wait," replied the man. "You wait until the teacher returns. For now, my guards will show you to your room." The guards started being considerably nicer to Aang and didn't shove him around. They bowed respectfully to him before gesturing to his room. Once he entered, the doors shut securely behind Aang. The boy looked happily around his spacious room and immediately jumped on the soft bed. In the corner awaited Aang's glider.

"Ah. What can be better than this?" he asked himself.

* - * - * - *

Katara was ankle deep in snow. So was Sokka. "Now, whose stupid idea was this?" he said. "Did you really think standing here would make Appa, or some other kind of miracle, appear?" Katara ignored Sokka and continued waterbending. "Right. Yeah, just go on and ignore me. What are you doing anyway?" Katara seemed to think that this was a reasonable question because she answered.

"I'm trying to waterbend letters," she replied. Sokka huffed and tried to use his boomerang to free the ice trapping his legs.

"Great. While you try to learn a new trick, I'm trying to get us out of here. Let's consider our options. We can try to get out. Consequences? We'll get lost. Or, _you_ could un-waterbend the ice trapping our legs and we could get out of here. Consequences? We'd still end up getting lost anyway."

"Look! I did it!" cried Katara as she held her hands in front of her, a nicely shaped 'H' hovering in mid air. "And watch this." Katara pulled more water out from the stream and snapped into concentration. She whipped the water constantly around and around, still keeping her water 'H' in place. Then she formed a watery 'E' right next to the 'H'. Katara let out a grunt as she struggled to keep both letters intact. She pulled out more water and Sokka gazed in wonder. He was about to make a comment but by judging the look in Katara's face, he thought otherwise.

Finally, Katara was able form the letters, 'H', 'E', 'L' and 'P'. Using her last effort, she hoisted the letters high in the air for a few minutes before she broke. Water came splashing down on the siblings and Katara was able to shield herself, leaving Sokka soaking wet. Snow almost reached Katara's knees now and Sokka looked completely ridiculous brandishing his boomerang. "That should do it." Katara melted the ice at her feet and paced around.

"What about me, Katara! That's not fair!" Sokka complained.

"Shh. I think I hear someone coming." Katara wandered forward for a better look. "I'm right! Someone _is_ coming! We're saved!" Katara then waved her arms around wildly. Sokka copied her movements.

"Over here!" they yelled. But the person they saw was not a stranger. They were familiar.

**Ooh. Who's the person?? Thanks for everyone who reviews my story. It means a lot to me. **

**By the way, I had trouble designing Zuko's dart. With a few light sketches, I managed to come up with a faint idea.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three, here we come!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar – The Last Airbender**

**Chapter three – Suki - the Kyoshi Warrior**

"Azula!" Mai laughed. Zuko became confused instantly. "How are you?" continued Mai. Azula smiled in a way Zuko did not like.

"I'm good. I trust your plan worked?" Azula asked. Zuko lifted his head. What plan? Mai looked back at Zuko for a moment.

"Yes. It worked perfectly. It's a shame I had to turn him in, though," said Mai, looking at Azula who smirked promptly again. Zuko was really confused and as he began to voice some questions, Mai ignored him.

"What plan were you talking about?" Zuko asked for the fifth time. Azula walked near the bars.

"You haven't told him?" Azula said to Mai with a slight bit of annoyance to her voice. Mai looked away. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Mai. And if you won't tell him, I will." Zuko scowled. "Mai went to see the Fire Lord yesterday morning and she told him all about your plan to escape the Fire Nation. Maybe you should learn which people you can and can't trust!"

"Is it true, Mai?" Zuko said suddenly. Mai turned her back to him.

"It was for the best," she replied. Zuko grasped the bars tightly and Azula sneered in delight.

"I guess nobody really cares about you anymore, Zu-Zu," she said.

"Try to understand what I did, Zuko," said Mai. "I'm soon to be – "

"I don't think he needs any more encouraging," said Azula as heat soon began to evaporate off Zuko. The princess backed off Zuko's prison and left. Mai stayed rooted to the spot and watched Zuko's anger.

"Why aren't you leaving?" Zuko hissed as fire encased him.

"That's simple," said Mai. "I don't fear you."

"Of course you don't. You betrayed me!" the fire flared and encased Mai as well.

"I did because – "

"Enough of your excuses," said Zuko. "And you say you don't fear me?" the fire that surrounded Zuko and Mai shrunk, forcing them to move closer to each other. Once she was close enough, Zuko grabbed Mai's arm roughly. "Why? Why did you turn me in?"

"There is no reason to overreact, Zuko," Mai said. Zuko's anger subsided for a moment and he could see that Mai was crying silently. He let go of her.

"Go," Zuko said. The fire surrounding them stopped. "I'm sorry for being so rough on you. I'm sorry." Mai turned to leave and rubbed her left arm where new a burn twisted up her arm.

No less than half a month, Zuko was let out of prison because he had somehow gained the Fire Lord's trust. Zuko and Mai were very distant after the prison release. They were rarely seen together, nonetheless talking. The inner walls Mai had tried so hard to knock down built back up again twice as strong and was once again the girl her parents had taught her to be. Prince Zuko was very busy attending War Meetings and visits with his uncle. It was hard to believe the two were ever a couple. Mai would be regularly seen with a man no older than Zuko, talking on the balcony outside Mai's house. The man was handsome, tall and fit.

When Mai and the man were talking, the man would show a great amount of spirit in talking and Mai would either grunt or answer back dully. When Zuko saw them two together, it made something inside him roar and bubble with great rage. Azula could be seen smirking in the sidelines before walking off absently. "Who is he?" Zuko asked Mai, a feeble attempt to sound polite.

"He's none of your business," replied Mai starkly.

"I asked you a question and I still haven't gotten an answer."

"Mai?" said a voice. The boy who Mai was talking to earlier was standing at the end of a bridge. Debating whether he should be there or not.

"Ben!" exclaimed Mai. Zuko clenched his fists.

"Prince Zuko," Ben addressed promptly and bowed. Zuko accepted it with a still nod. "I've heard of your greatness, sir. I can't tell you how – "

"Mai! Is that you?" said an excited voice. Everybody looked to the other end of the bridge where Ty Lee stood. She was wearing her usual pink clothes but her hair was done differently. Instead of the normal long braid, she had her hair twisted into a unique bun on the top of her head. Ty Lee ran and hugged Mai with much enthusiasm. "Wow! You've grown so much taller!" Mai grimaced, the closest attempt to a real smile.

"So how has the circus been?" Mai asked. Ty Lee's eyes grew brighter (if that was even possible) and she smiled.

"Great! Everything is going so well! I'm glad you asked." Then Ty Lee noticed the two men on the bridge scowling at each other. "Oh hi Zuko! Nice to see you again! And you are…?"

"This is Ben," said Mai. Ty Lee's eyes moved from Mai to Ben as if debating something. After a few seconds, Ty Lee was dragging Mai away from the bridge. The two stopped outside a deserted hall.

"I thought you were with Zuko?" Ty Lee asked.

"No," said Mai. "We're over now." Ty Lee gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes glistening with tears.

* - * - * - *

"Suki!" said Katara and Sokka together. The Kyoshi Warrior smiled down at both of them. She was wearing her face paint but parts of it were starting to wear off. She wasn't wearing her usual green but a warm cream coloured shirt and baggy pants. "How did you find us?" asked Katara.

"Well, Kyoshi's not far from here actually. Our only water supply comes from here and every month, one of the warriors of Kyoshi Island take turns in bringing the water back to our town."

"I could help you with that," Katara smiled.

"No, really. It's okay. As a Kyoshi Warrior, it's my duty to bring the water to the town."

"But I'm a waterbender! I can just stream the water across to the town!" Katara reasoned. Suki frowned.

"Oh, all right," she said. "And why are you so silent?" she asked Sokka.

"Well, I'm getting the ice off my legs because my sister won't – "

"Whatever," Katara said. The spot where Sokka was standing on melted completely into nothing. The Water Tribe boy fell right through the ground and the girls laughed merrily as they heard Sokka's struggling yells.

"I'll go help him," Suki announced. The warrior put her hand in the water and grasped around until she felt Sokka's hand. Using all her strength, Suki pulled Sokka out of the water. Sokka stumbled helplessly on ice for a moment before he fell on Suki. Katara held a giggle back from where she was standing.

"Having fun?" the waterbender asked. Suki and Sokka got up quickly, standing a good distance away from each other and avoiding gazes. "Ready to head back to Kyoshi?" Katara asked. Sokka looked at his soaking clothes and nodded. The waterbender snapped into concentration and pulled water out of the stream, more coming behind her as she walked.

"I'll lead the way," said Suki, walking in front of Katara. Sokka tagged along, looking like the odd one out. "So what brings you here?" Suki asked. It wasn't cold anymore. The snow lessened under the trio's feet.

"Aang is captured and we need to save him," said Katara anxiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear about that," said Suki. "Is there anything I can do?" the siblings shook their heads.

"Appa and Momo were captured as well. Sokka and I hid from the capturers just in time."

"Here's Kyoshi!" announced Suki. A sea of water came into view and so did many tiny dots, indicating people. The sun shone brightly in Katara and Sokka's faces. The pony-tailed boy shivered as he remembered the Unagi.

**This chapter is really short and I'm sorry about that.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar – The Last Airbender.**

**Chapter four – The Spirit World **

"You and Zuko are over?" asked Ty Lee in a squeaky voice. "Why?" Mai scowled and pulled back her sleeve to reveal a long burn going up her arm. Ty Lee gasped.

"He gave me this," Mai said. She had kept the burn a secret until now.

"How?"

"He just burnt me, okay?" Mai yelled.

"We have to tell him!" Ty Lee said anxiously and bounced away. Mai grabbed her arms.

"No! Ty Lee, don't let him know."

"But I have to do this! Zuko – "

"What about me?" Zuko asked. His scar was more noticeable in his frown.

"Nothing," answered Mai quickly.

"I was asking Ty Lee," Zuko said stiffly. Mai narrowed her eyes at Ty Lee, who looked confused.

"Well, Mai … um … she's not well! I mean, she's hurt her arm and – "

"Be quiet!" Mai hissed. Ty Lee shut her mouth and looked down.

"I would like to know," Zuko said. "Ty Lee, continue."

"Well, Mai's got a long burn on her arm. She said you did it." Mai clenched her fists. "Mai, show him."

"No," Mai declared. Zuko took hold of her left arm roughly. "Ow! Stop it!" she said. The pain didn't seem to be coming from her arm. It was coming from her head. Suddenly, the ground changed under the two and they found themselves in a cloudy clearing. Ty Lee was nowhere to be seen. "Where are we?" asked Zuko.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask yourself?' Mai snapped. Zuko stared at her with a funny expression on his face.

"What is she talking about?" he asked again. But Mai noticed how Zuko didn't open his mouth to speak.

Zuko felt a lot of anger coming off Mai. The mood of the air changed to anger too and it was so persuasive that Zuko soon began to feel angry as well. The sixteen year old stumbled back at the feeling and felt his knees buckle. Mai's emotions changed and she was now surprised. Zuko was relieved as he felt the anger lift off his shoulders. "Look Zuko! Something white is heading towards us!" There sure was. A white figure was floating in mid air and drifting towards the two.

"Stay behind me," said Zuko and blasted a handful of fire at the wan form. But nothing came out of Zuko's hands. "I can't firebend!" Zuko said with realisation.

As the white blur floated closer, features became clearer. The figure was a teenage girl with long white flowing hair and great blue eyes. Zuko recognised her with a start. Mai narrowed her eyes as she saw a series of flashes come from Zuko. They were all of a pretty white haired girl, very similar to the one standing in front of her. "I'm Yue," said the girl. "I'm the Moon Spirit and I have been summoned by your presence."

"Just let us out of here!" Zuko yelled. The spirit giggled.

"There's something I need to tell you first. It's very important. Follow me." Zuko looked at Mai, unsure whether he should follow Yue or not. Mai paid him no attention and pursued Yue quietly. The spirit, the prince and the knife thrower stopped outside a dim cave. "First of all, both of you should know that this is the Spirit World. In here, Mai can read only Zuko's mind and Zuko can feel only Mai's emotions. They are very handy powers but are only active in the Spirit World. Now, you must be dying to know how you got here.

"The answer is you got here by Mai's burn. By burning her, while you had strong emotions, you have not only touched her arm, but her heart. I am the Moon Spirit but I also have another position: The Love Iris. Nobody was willing to take this position so I took it for myself. My duty is to watch over the lovers of the mortal world and to assist them in troubled situations. When you touched Mai's scar, you triggered the burn you imprinted on her heart. With this new power of being able to enter the Spirit World, you two can even communicate when you're far from each other."

"How does that work?" Zuko asked, in spite of himself.

"That is what I'm getting to. This cave is home to many gems. I want you both to go inside and pick the one you wish." Mai and Zuko nodded and entered the cave. Mai noticed that the cave was very dark and the only source of light was coming from the sides where gems glittered. Smiling, Mai picked out a diamond and headed out of the cave. Zuko had already come out. He waited by Yue's side holding a sapphire. Yue wordlessly took the diamond and sapphire, one in each hand, and closed her eyes. Her hands glowed briefly and she opened them. Two lockets were in her palms, the jewels gone.

"Keeper of the sapphire," Yue said and draped one locket over Zuko's head. "Keeper of the diamond." Yue did the same thing to Mai. Zuko opened his locket to reveal his blue gem staring back at him. "Do not go showing off your lockets to anyone. It is not to be traded with either. Keep it safe and in good condition. I think that is all. I have to leave now. Goodbye." The ground shook under Zuko and Mai's feet and briefly changed. Both the prince and the knife thrower found themselves back in the palace.

"Thank goodness!" said Ty Lee. "You and Mai just sort of fainted!" Zuko and Mai didn't say a word but stared at the lockets hanging from their necks.

* - * - * - *

Dinner was done and everybody was heading to their rooms. Sokka watched Suki enter her chamber, which was with the other Kyoshi Warriors. "It's my shift tonight," he heard her say to another friend. Sokka knew the Kyoshi Warriors took turns in guarding the island. Shaking his head, he headed towards his room

"Going to sleep yet?" Katara asked. She was combing her hair. Sokka sat on his bed without unchanging.

"There's someone I want to talk to you about, Katara. Well, someone you know anyway. What I'm trying to say is that I have strong feelings for this person."

"Oh, let me guess," said Katara with a mischievous grin. "Is it _Mu-Mu_?" she asked. Just then, there was a loud hysterical giggling outside the room.

"No!" said Sokka loudly. Katara widened her grin.

"Oh, don't get upset just because I uncovered your secret. I can see why you don't want anyone to know. Mu-Mu can be really girly and dumb sometimes. But don't worry, I won't blab."

"It's not Mu-Mu! It's Suki!" yelled Sokka. Katara dropped her brush and then hastily picked it up again.

"Suki?" she asked. "But Suki's – "

"What? Suki's what?" snapped Sokka. "Is she too good for me or – "

"No. I was going to say – "

"Forget it. I'm going out." Sokka left the room with a scowl. The pony tailed boy felt the cold wind whip around his face, when he saw Suki. He recognised her by her copper red hair. Her back was facing him but she wasn't wearing her usual uniform. As Sokka approached the warrior, he accidentally stepped on a twig, scaring both him and Suki. "Who's there?" said Suki. Her voice showed no sign of weakness and fear. Sokka was shocked. He had never seen Suki without her face paint and he blinked unattractively as he scanned her pretty face. "Hi," said Suki.

"Hi," Sokka said back. He realised he sounded weak. He cleared his throat. "Busy right now?" he asked. Suki glanced around the clearing.

"I guess not. Let's go for a walk." The two left the place and wandered around the shore.

"Aren't you cold?" Sokka asked, putting an arm around Suki, who flushed. "It's way cold here because the island's isolated and surrounded by water." The moon twinkled as it usually did and Sokka felt immediately guilty, thinking of Yue.

"Not now, I'm not cold," replied Suki, her blush more noticeable. It was usually hidden by her make up. Sokka scratched his head as if it would loosen the tension. "Are you leaving soon?" Suki asked suddenly.

"I think so," answered Sokka. "We've developed a habit of moving from one place to another after not staying very long.

"It must be hard then," remarked Suki. "Because you have to leave all your new friends behind.

"We don't make new friends," the pony tailed boy said with an uneasy laugh. "Just in case they are dangerous."

"I'm not dangerous," said Suki, catching Sokka off guard.

"Well, technically to me, you're not a friend," Sokka said. Suki folded her arms but didn't say anything. "No! I didn't mean that! What I meant was, I think of you as more than a friend." Suki's expressionless face cracked into a wide smile.

"Me too," she said. The two stared into each other's eyes and leaned towards each other.

"Sokka?" said a voice suddenly. Katara stood a few metres away, sweat beaded on her forehead. "Don't go wandering out at night! I woke up to see your bed empty and – did I interrupt something?" Katara asked, noticing Suki and Sokka's sheepish faces.

"No. Not at all," said Suki brightly. "I've got to go back to my shift anyway."

"Suki! There you are! Come quick! Someone has managed to break into the inner walls!" The Kyoshi Warrior dashed off at once. Katara and Sokka looked at each other, then followed, sensing that their help was needed. In the courtyard, not much could be seen through the growing crowd. Two warriors were tackling down a struggling figure and seemed to need help. Katara made a water whip and whipped the figure on the arm with it. The struggling stopped a bit. The face of the person looked up and Katara gasped, the water splashing to the ground instantly. There, on the ground looking up at her was no other than Zuko.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar – The Last Airbender. **

**I'm sorry but this chapter is very short because of the next chapter. **

**Chapter five – Zuko's departure **

Mai woke up peacefully, due to the soft chirping of a bird outside. She could almost pretend for a moment that she and Zuko were still together. Mai remembered the fight she had with him yesterday.

_*Flashback*_

"_Why are you so impossible?" she had said. "All you ever cared about for three years was capturing the Avatar!" _

"_Well maybe if your life didn't depend on it!" Zuko snapped back._

"_But the thing is, yours didn't! You actually had a choice. You were blinded by duty."_

"_And what would you know about duty? You don't have to do anything! You can just lie around and be depressed!" Mai walked away._

_*End Flashback*_

Not long after Mai had breakfast, a maid came down and delivered Mai a message. Mai held out the piece of paper with boredom and moaned. "Azula wants me again?"

"And quick!" the maid added. The fifteen year old dressed reluctantly and headed up to the palace. The people Mai passed were extra lively today and were seen whispering to each other frequently. Some of the words Mai caught were 'prince', 'abandon' and 'gone'.

"I think you've already heard the news, Mai?" Azula asked expectantly. Ty Lee stood next to the princess looking horrified. Mai shook her head.

"What news Azula?" she asked. Azula smirked.

"Zuko's left the Fire Nation."

"What?"

"I know. How stupid. Dad's done the best he could to cover up the news but words have leaked out to the city. Have you heard the false rumours they're sending around?" Azula fumed. "They think my family is a disgrace! As far as I'm concerned, Zuko is the only one who will ever be disgraced." The princess's face turned dark for a moment. "Anyway, back to the point of why we're here. My father has sent me on a mission find Zuko and put an end to his nonsense. I told him that I don't need a whole army. That would be too noticeable. Instead, we'll travel on foot, only the three of us." Mai nodded her approval. The princess leant on the rail for a moment as if remembering something. "Tomorrow, we set sail at sunrise."

* - * - * - *

"Please! I've changed!" Zuko said. He put his hands up in surrender.

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" said Katara crossly. Zuko was slowly moving back, due to Katara's movements to move forward. "After all those things you've done to me and Aang?"

"Wait!" Zuko dropped to his knees. "If you don't accept me, I'll burn myself!" Zuko created a ball on fire in one hand. Katara scowled as she thought what to do. She pulled two massive waves out of the water and aimed it at Zuko. The prince did nothing to defend himself and allowed the force of the water pin him to a wall. Katara blew on the water and it froze. Zuko was stuck to the wall.

"Why did you come here?" she demanded.

"I told you, I've come to help you and the Avatar restore balance to the world."

"Prove it! I don't believe you!" Katara then left the crowd. The crowd split so she could get through.

"You don't believe him, do you?" Sokka asked immediately. Katara rubbed her head.

"I don't know. I'm confused. I wished Toph was here. Then she could tell me if Zuko was – "

"I can do that," said a voice. Toph stepped into the light. The little girl staggered as she was engulfed by a hug from Katara.

"Toph! How did you get here? I thought your parents dragged you off to your summer holiday house to learn some discipline."

"Well, I have my ways," said Toph with a shrug. "Now what is it that you want me to do?" Katara explained Zuko's sudden appearance to Toph. "Alright. I'll go check him out."

The blind girl approached Zuko in her own gait. Slowly, but not hesitantly, Toph pressed her hand to the wall Zuko was stuck to. "Guys. This is bad news."

* - * - * - *

"What are you doing here?" Mai asked Ty Lee. Usually when the question was asked, it would sound quite rude but since Mai had said it in such a dull voice, it was as if the meaning of the words had faded.

"Well, Azula made me come here to ask you something," the bouncy girl replied.

"What?"

"Well, are you over Zuko yet? If you aren't, Azula doesn't want you to go with us on our mission."

"Oh really?" replied Mai sarcastically. "Since when did Azula care about how I feel?"

"Well, she kind of doesn't. She just wants to make sure you won't turn against us."

"Oh. Well go tell Azula that I don't love Zuko and never did! Tell her why she'd think I'd ever loved a boy like him!" Ty Lee stepped back cautiously.

"Calm down Mai! Remember what I said about bad skin!" Ty Lee looked around in alarm. "I'll leave you to yourself then." Ty Lee left.

To be honest, Mai did not know how she felt about Zuko. She was so surprised at his departure from the Fire Nation; she couldn't connect to any other feeling.

* - * - * - *

"Look, it's really nice here but I've got to go. With my friends," said Aang.

"I was afraid you'd say that."

"I know it's a big achievement for you to have found the Avatar after a hundred years but I really need to get to my friends now."

"What about learning firebending?" the old man asked.

"I'll find some way."

"Very well. I'll send a guard to find out where your friends are. Fong!"

"Yes sir?"

"I want you to secure the current location of the Avatar's friends."

"Yes sir."

"For now, Aang, you can stay in your room." The airbender trudged off.

* - * - * - *

"Ty Lee tells me you've gotten over my treacherous brother," said Azula with her hands behind her back. "I'm actually interested in further discussion with this topic. Did you really actually love him?"

"That's personal," replied Mai. Azula let out a laugh.

"Oh, I get it Mai. You still love poor Zu-Zu."

"But not enough to betray you. Zuko has done nothing but embarrass himself."

"You are absolutely right, Mai. And that's exactly why this mission needs to take place," said Azula. "You've proven your worth. The mission starts now." Mai turned her back on Azula and tried to sigh unnoticeably.

* - * - * - *

"What's really bad?" asked Katara. "Is he lying?" Toph shook her head.

"It's quite the other way around actually," she said. "Zuko is telling the truth. He does want to help us and he does want to defeat his father.

"Wait!" said Sokka. "What if this is a trap?"

"Sokka, I think we can trust Toph's judgement."

"Fine! You two ladies befriend the enemy! I'm going." Sokka joined Suki's side and they walked away.

"Thanks for – " before Zuko could finish his sentence, Katara released him from the wall and ran away. Toph put her hands behind her head.

"Everybody starts off like this," she said with a shrug. Zuko stood in his own puddle of water while he stared at Toph.

"You're blind, aren't you?" Zuko asked.

"Wow, that was obvious," said Toph. "Goodnight. I'm going to sleep."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar – The Last Airbender**

**This chapter is in different points of views. It's kind of like that episode in Season 2 called Tales of Ba Sing Se.**

**Chapter six – Aang is found**

The tale of Toph

Blackness. Blackness. Blackness.

Yet I still seem to live on and survive. Sometimes being blind is a good thing. If I weren't blind, my senses probably wouldn't be so sharp. The ability to see with my feet is also cool too. But I also wish I could see as well. It's bad because I'm oblivious to the world. Plus, I don't know what my friends look like. For example: Zuko was first described to me as a pony tailed jerk with a scar and now, they tell me he's got short hair! I also wish knew how I looked. I asked them once and guess what they said? You're a short twelve year old girl who's blind. Gees, everybody knows I blind. I disagree with short, though.

"Toph! Breakfast!" Katara's voice rang through the room. I sat up and felt how messy and spiky my hair was. "Last night I put your usual clothes on the chair. Let me help you with that," she said as she saw me struggling to find my headbands. I felt Katara put in on my head. I gave her a punch and smiled satisfactorily as I felt her rub her arm viciously.

"I know you give punches for affection, but what about hugs?" Katara offered. I earth bended the chair over to where I was and picked up my shirt.

"How's Zuko doing?" I asked while pulling the shirt over my head. I felt Katara stiffen.

"Let me guess, you haven't checked on him yet?" I asked. Katara didn't answer me. " Maybe you should. I know as a matter of fact that when I first joined you guys, I was ignored sometimes. I felt a bit left out. I bet that's how Zuko's feeling right now."

"You know Toph, you're right. We just accepted him last night so there shouldn't be any problems. I'm just worried Aang won't be too happy about it."

"Don't worry," I said coolly while fixing my belt in place. "Aang will get over it as soon as he's introduced. Aang never holds grudges." Katara sighed.

"I'll go check on Zuko now," she said. "Before Sokka tries to murder him," she added. I giggled.

"Oh wait, Katara!" I called. The Water Tribe girl turned around. I gave her another light punch. "Thanks for everything."

The tale of Sokka

He's probably in his room planning to take Aang away as soon as we save him!" I exclaimed. Suki blinked before she burst out laughing. "I'm serious! What if – "

"You heard Toph, Sokka," said Suki. "You've just got to learn and accept the face that Zuko's good now. Calm down."

"How do you expect me to calm down when we have a killer among us? This is – "

"Technically, Zuko never killed anyone," interrupted Toph.

"Not you too!" I complained.

"Look, I can detect lies from a mile away. It's all in the vibration on the ground." Zuko sat down on a nearby rock.

"But his sister's a good liar! Remember when she said she was a 14ft tall – "

"That's just my sister," said Zuko fiercely. "That's who she is. A liar who uses fear to captivate people." I scratched my head suspiciously.

"But that doesn't change anything. You've tried to capture Aang in the past, let alone kill him!" Zuko hung his head.

"I know. But I've changed now. When we find Aang, I'm going to teach him firebending." I started clapping.

"Very dramatic," I said. "Very dramatic." The group stared blankly at me. "Fine," I shrugged. "If you can't see through his mask, fine." I walked away. I heard footsteps following mine. "Leave me alone," I said angrily."

"Sokka, don't do this," said Suki. "For me, it was hard to trust Zuko, especially when he attacked Kyoshi Island months ago. But I learnt that other people's decisions are right sometimes. Good can come out of this. But first, we need to trust each other."

"I'm sorry. I overreacted. It's just hard for me to trust a Fire Nation person because they took away my mother." Suki put a hand on my shoulder.

"There's nothing to worry about," she said, embracing me tightly.

The tale of Aang

"We've found the location of the Avatar's companions. They are situated on a little island called Kyoshi Island."

The yellow robed man looked at me. "Thank you for the research, Yong. You may leave us. Now, it is a great honour to have yet another Avatar grace The Avatar Guardians with their presence. I believe you wish to venture to Kyoshi Island without an escort?" I looked at my staff.

"This will do," I declared. The old man blinked before laughing.

"I wouldn't have you fly all the way to Kyoshi Island with a mere staff! Have you forgotten about your pet bison and lemur?" Appa and Momo came into view.

"Hey Momo, hey Appa! It's good to see you both again after so long!" Appa growled in response. "Thanks for taking good care of me while I was here, sir," I said.

"It's both my pleasure and duty," said the man with a bow.

"I guess this really is goodbye," I said, climbing onto Appa. Momo rested on my upper arm. "Thanks again! Yip, Yip!" Appa took off quickly, exiting the dim cave. The fresh air whipped around my face. "Just like good times buddy," I said. Appa rumbled. Momo's ears perked up. "Are we almost there, Momo?" The answer was a big black figure splashing out of the sea below. "I see the Unagi! We can't be too far! Actually, we're there right now."

Appa began to descend onto the beach. Momo drooped his ears and opened his mouth, pointing at it. "Don't worry. We'll get you some food soon."

"Aang!" someone called. I turned around. Katara smiled at me. "How did you find us?"

"There you are, twinkle toes," said Toph, stomping past Katara. "We missed you."

"Toph!" I exclaimed. "How did you get here?" The blind girl shrugged.

"You hear the question once, you hear the question twice," she said.

"Where's Sokka?" I asked. My question was answered quickly.

"I'm here, buddy!" Sokka stood with Suki, next to Toph. "Momo!" Momo flew off Appa and into Sokka's face. We all laughed.

"And there's someone we'd like you to meet," said Toph. Katara and Sokka stiffened. "Prepare for a surprise Aang." I figure I hadn't noticed stepped out into the full light.

I gasped. "Zuko! What's he doing here?" I leapt off Appa and held my staff in front of me protectively.

"Look Aang. Last night, Zuko came to Kyoshi Island," explained Katara. "He said he had changed and we didn't believe him at first – "

"Do you believe him now?" I asked angrily. How could they make friends with our enemy?

"Well, yes," said Katara.

"Why did you believe him?" I demanded. "He could've been lying – "

"Don't forget me, twinkle toes," Toph said. "I'm a walking lie detector."

"But he could have fooled you! I mean – "

"Hah, that's exactly what I said," Sokka grinned. Momo had found a nest in Sokka's hair.

"So you don't believe Zuko?" I asked hopefully.

"No, Aang. I do. He's a pretty trustworthy guy. I learnt to accept the fact." Sokka looked at Suki with admiration.

"But how could you?" I said, looking at everyone. "He's tried to kill me so many times!"

"I know," said Zuko. "But lately, I've learnt to do things right now. My father's going the wrong way about this war. I don't want to kill you. Or hurt you in any way. I just want to help. I can even teach you firebending."

"No," I said angrily. "I'm not going to trust you with this."

The tale of Katara

"Some grudge he's holding, huh?" said Toph. She had her head in one of her hands. I knew she was talking about Aang.

"I don't get why he's holding such a strong grudge against Zuko, thought," I said with agreement.

"Zuko seems to be handling it fine," remarked Toph. We both looked at the firebender who was playing with Momo.

"Hi guys," said Suki. "Since all the boys are chilling out, I thought maybe the girls should spend some time together."

"No way," said Toph. She was already starting to crawl away.

"It's not going to be like normal girl gatherings," insisted Suki. "We're going to teach each other techniques."

"I guess that's okay," said Toph. The earthbender created a rock underneath her so that she went from sitting to standing.

"I'm fine with it, Suki," I agreed. Suki nodded. "But hang on! How are we going to teach each other techniques? I'm a waterbender, Toph's an earthbender and you're a – well, you're a Kyoshi Warrior!"

"Oh trust me, honey," said Toph. "Some of these techniques _won't_ need bending." Suki raised an eyebrow at Toph's slightly excited expression.

"I've got a technique," said Suki. "Well, it's actually sort of a fact. I learnt that sometimes, the weapons you use don't depend on strength and force. They have to be treated like an extension of your arm. A type of weapon that fits this example is a sword."

"That's pretty handy information, Suki – "

"That's old stuff," interrupted Toph. "I know one of the greatest techniques ever invented!"

"What is it?" Suki asked.

"It's the Give Up and Run!" said Toph. She raised her hands high above her head for exaggeration. Suki and I frowned. "It's the greatest technique!"

"How is giving up and running away the greatest technique?" I asked. Toph slumped.

"You guys don't get it, do you?" she asked. I shook my head. "I thought so," said Toph.

The tale of Suki

"Sokka! I need to talk to you about – " Sokka's room was empty. Where had he gone? I went around the corner and checked on Toph. She was gone too. In fact, everybody was gone! I dashed towards my best friend. "Tasha! The Avatar and his friends are gone!"

"I know," Tasha said calmly. "They got up two hours ago. I suspect they should be on their way to – "

"Two hours ago?" I said incredulously. "And no one told me?"

"Well, Sokka said not to," Tasha said.

"But even your own best friend?" I said.

"Sokka said it was really important that you didn't know so I didn't tell you."

"This is bad," I said. "This is really bad. I'm going to check the beach to see if I can find them."

"No Suki! They've already gone! It's just a waste of time!" Tasha said, tugging at my sleeve.

"I'm going to check," I said, pulling my arm out of her grip. On the beach, I saw five different pairs of footprints lead up to six huge ones, possibly made by Appa. "They've really gone!" I realised. "They've taken off!" I felt the urge to suddenly cry.

"Suki?" Tasha said cautiously. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay," I said. "I should've known they'd be leaving soon. After all, they don't stay in one place for too long, not even for friends. Or in this case, girlfriends."

The tale of Zuko

"Do you really think it's a good idea to leave Suki behind without telling her?" Katara asked Sokka with a worried glance.

"Yeah, it's fine," her brother said shrugging. "After all, we're just going to a beach!"

I leaned over the side of the bison's saddle and looked down at the view below. Mai could be anywhere down there. And she could be hating me. The Avatar was still ignoring me. There still seemed to be something apart of my characteristics that he seemed to doubt. "Hey," said Katara. "Didn't you say you liked Fire Flakes?" she asked me.

"Yeah," I said. "They're okay – "

"Well that's something, then," Katara said loudly. "It's something you have in common with Aang. He likes Fire Flakes too – "

"It's not working Katara," said Toph. "Stop flaunting it."

"There's the beach!" said Aang. There were a great number of people relaxing on the shore. We looked at the beach in doubt. "But we came here early! Nobody comes to Ba Sing Beach this early!"

"I know why they're there," I said bitterly. Everybody looked at me. "It's my father's birthday today." There was silence for a moment.

"Well, that's bad news then," said Sokka dismissively.

"What?" I hissed.

"What I meant was, Aang won't be allowed to swim!" The Water Tribe boy scrambled up and sat properly on the saddle. "Since so many people are here. Aang, you'll probably have to hide."

"Me too," I said.

"What are you talking about?" asked Toph me.

"I left my country, remember? I joined the Avatar's side!" I said impatiently.

"That's not what Toph meant," Katara said. "Ever since you left the Fire Nation, people have been starting to dress up as you."

"Why?"

"To humiliate you, I guess," replied Sokka. Appa landed in a secluded area and it gave time for Aang wrap his shoulder coverings over his head. The boy slumped.

"I look like a religious turkey!" Aang sighed. Sokka chuckled.

"You kind of do," he said, pointing to Aang's newly found head wrap. The airbender looked at Sokka with annoyance.

"Who wants to go for a swim?" Katara asked. Aang hung his head lower than it was.

"Not me, I guess," he said.

"Count me in!" Sokka said excitedly. "Come on Toph, let's go now."

"No thanks. I can't see underwater," said Toph.

"But you're blind and can't see underwater anyway – "

"I meant with my feet!" huffed the blind girl. "I'm definitely staying on dry land."

"I'll stay with Toph," I said.

"Oh no you don't," said Sokka. He grinned. "Come on in for a ride! It'll be fun!"

"Fine," I said, taking my shirt off. At that moment, I could tell many eyes were drawn to me. "This was your idea," I hissed at Sokka.

"Hey," said a girl. I tried to remain casual and relaxed. Any movement out of the ordinary, my 'Zuko costume' would be destroyed. This girl had dark brown hair. "Nice Zuko costume," she said kindly. Other women in the clearing looked jealously at the girl. "Wait, you're not wearing a costume!" I tensed. The girl narrowed her eyes. "You're Lee!"

"Jin?" I asked questioningly.

"Yes! I can't believe I didn't recognise you at once!" she said. I gave an uneasy laugh. Jin's hair had grown longer and she no longer wore it in two plaits. She let it out freely. Katara watched Jin talk to me.

"So, uh, why are you here?" I asked. Jin giggled.

"You haven't changed on single bit," she remarked. "I've come here for the same reason of all these people."

"Oh," I said understandingly. Jin touched my left cheek and traced her slender fingers over my eye. Just then, a huge wave caught Jin and I, dragging us into the open ocean. I scowled at Katara. She was whistling innocently but when she locked gazes with my eyes, she grinned mischievously.

"It's my turn to ask a question," said Jin. "Why are you here?"

"Um, I'm here with a couple of friends to celebrate the Fire Lord's birthday," I replied hastily. Jin stared at me.

"Oh, so you're here for that? Everybody else on this beach has come here to celebrate the day Avatar Kyoshi established the Dai Li. Why else do you think this beach is called _Ba Sing_ Beach?" Jin laughed at my slightly awed expression.

"Oh! I just remembered! My parents are waiting for me. It was nice meeting you again but I have to go. Goodbye." Jin dashed off immediately.

"Who was that?" said Katara teasingly.

"An old friend," I said.

"An old friend who's clearly interested in you," Katara said.

"Okay. Fine, I admit it. I dated her once."

"Right," remarked Katara, still grinning.

"Okay, and I kissed her."

"Hah! I knew you two did something together. No offence, but you don't strike me as the dating type."

"I know. I've only dated two girls in my entire life," I said sadly.

"Hey, don't look at me," Katara joked. "I've never dated anyone." The tone of the waterbender's voice changed and she smiled triumphantly. "So you've dated _two_ people. That girl's one, who's the other?" asked Katara. I looked away uncomfortably.

"Mai."

The cheeky tone and grin of Katara's dropped. "You dated her?"

"Yeah," I replied. "It was kind of a childhood crush thing." Katara adopted her taunting tone again.

"That's so sweet!"

"Tell me about it."

**Anyway guys, this chapter is extra long. I thought it was a good idea to do a chapter like this. For anyone who's wondering, the story is not a Zujin, nor a Zutara. It is strictly Maikonese!! (Though, after a lot of thought, I might change a few things around… Hehehe!!)**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar – The Last Airbender

**All hail the reuniting of the beloved pair in the story! : )**

**Chapter 7 – Favourite Person**

"I can't believe it!" Suki shrieked. She shook a horrified Sokka in her hands. "You had me convinced you left!"

"I'm sorry!" Sokka said. "We wanted to go for a swim and we didn't want to wake you up!"

"Wake me up? You almost broke my heart!"

"Okay, calm down everyone," said Katara. Suki let Sokka drop to the ground with a thump.

"Tell him to get a brain!" Suki yelled. Everybody laughed.

* - * - * - *

"Ugh, why is it that Everytime we travel, it's by boat?" Mai asked with irritation.

"Because it's the handiest type of transport," answered Azula. "I believe we're almost there."

"Does that mean we're almost at Kyoshi Island?" Ty Lee asked. "It's smart how you can manage to track Zuko down so fast!"

"That's because he's too easy to find," said Azula. "Mai, are you ready for this? I want you to take on my brother while I find the Avatar. Ty Lee, you can choose and even combat with anyone you wish. We probably won't capture them today, but it's worth a try anyway."

"I can see the beach!" Ty Lee announced.

"Perfect," the princess muttered. "Just how I want it."

* - * - * - *

"Fire Navy ships have arrived on Kyoshi Island!" Tasha exclaimed.

"Azula," Zuko growled. "She's probably here with … her friends." Katara looked worriedly at Zuko.

"Don't let it come to you," said Katara, kneeling next to Zuko. "Azula's playing with your mind."

"Then she's playing it good," said Zuko. He felt confused and unhappy. Sokka scratched his chin, obviously in deep thought.

"Azula will definitely challenge Aang," said Sokka. "Ty Lee will either take me, Katara, Suki or Toph and Mai will probably take – um … well, you."

"She wouldn't," said Zuko. "She's got no bending."

"She doesn't need any," said Katara. "She's got her darts and knives."

"I can feel them," said Toph. "Let's get outside for a fight. I hope none of your bones had rusted during this time!" Suki, Sokka, Toph, Aang, Zuko and Katara headed towards the shore together. Three people awaited them.

"This is pretty simple," said Azula. "Hand over Zuko and we leave or we'll fight until you surrender. Your choice."

"I think we'll take the second option," spoke up Aang, surprising everyone.

"Just as I thought," smirked Azula. The princess made a move. Ty Lee flipped in mid air and landed in front of Katara.

Mai brandished a highly sharp dart and stared at the boy she used to love. "Why is it that Everytime I go somewhere, you seem to be following me?" an irritated Zuko asked.

"Because you make it too easy," replied Azula and she appeared next to Mai. "Bring my brother down," the princess ordered her friend. "Show him that he should've never left the Fire Nation!" Mai was starting to feel confused at the amount of pressure her friend was putting one her. Mai lowered her dart a little. "Throw it! What are you doing? Mai! Mai?" Zuko suddenly set the ground where Azula stood ablaze with fire. The sister dodged it and sprinted at Zuko to start her attack on him, when she was pinned down by Aang.

Zuko started to run but Mai was quick. She threw her dart at Zuko almost effortlessly, pinning red vest to the wall. "Go on," said Zuko viciously. "Attack me!" Mai walked towards Zuko and looked at him for a moment. A mixture of feelings whirled inside Mai.

_Anger. Regret. Sadness. Happiness. Longing._

Mai pulled out the dart from the wall. "I don't want to fight you. You've made your decision and I can't change that. Our paths will go separate. I'll just have to accept the fact that things don't always work out, even if it is perfect at the time." Mai's words surprised Zuko.

"It's never been perfect," he said and ran away. Mai watched him disappear behind many sharp rocks. Ty Lee landed next to Mai.

"I saw that," she announced.

"Then go tell Azula," said Mai irritably. The acrobat blinked.

"Tell Azula?" she said incredulously. "Tell Azula something as important as this? Soon, you'll be on her target list as well!" Then Ty Lee caught sight of Mai's expression. "Don't feel guilty! I think you did the right thing back there by letting Zuko go! It was so sweet. Anyway, what did Zuko mean by 'it's never been perfect'?"

Mai knew the answer but she didn't voice it. "I have no idea," she lied simply.

* - * - * - *

"She spared me," Zuko said to Katara. "She let me go."

"Yeah, whatever," said Toph.

"What's your problem?" Katara yelled.

"What's my problem? Do you really think I like sitting around and hearing love stories? I reckon you should get over it, Zuko, and move onto another girl."

"How could you say that, Toph? Zuko's – "

"I sense a lecture coming," sighed Toph. "And I don't even need feet to know that." Katara ignored her while the others laughed.

"If you can't see, oh wait, you can't!" Katara said viciously. "Toph inclined her head. "If you can't see, Zuko used to be in love with Mai! He used to date her and – " The lecture carried on for five whole minutes. When Katara was finally finished, Toph laid back.

"You know what I just heard? Ya de da de da. Something about a girl mumbo jumbo. Look, its Zuko's problem and he should be the one speaking up, not you, Mrs I'm-The-Boss-Of-Everything. Zuko, if it's bothering you so much, why don't you do something about it? Wouldn't that make things easier for the rest of us?"

"Don't listen to Toph. She doesn't know what she's talking about," began Katara.

"Toph's right," Zuko said.

"Usually am," said the blind girl proudly.

"If Mai's bothering me so much, I should do something about it."

"Let's start with Stop Talking About Her!" suggested Toph.

* - * - * - *

Ty Lee, Mai and Azula were getting ready for the night. Though it did not seem like it, Azula had waist length hair. "I think I'll undo my braid tonight," said Ty Lee.

"Wrong choice," said Mai as Ty Lee's hair immediately formed a big fluffy frame around her face.

"It just needs combing," insisted the acrobat. Mai snorted. "Then let's see you with _your_ hair down, then!" Mai took out her hairpins.

"At least _I_ don't look like a complete clown," she said.

"Wow! You do look good with your hair down! And I thought Ben was lying," said Ty Lee. Azula snickered.

"Aren't you going too far on this?" she smirked.

" I don't know what you're talking about," snapped Mai. "Ben's never seen me with my hair down."

"Oh, wrong person," said Ty Lee cheerfully. "Must've been Zuko."

"He's never seen me with my hair down either," said Mai.

"Are you two getting to bed? I'm turning out the lights."

"Actually, I'm not," said Mai. "I need some fresh air."

"If you want. Go ahead."

Mai sat outside on the front deck of the boat. The boat could be used on land and air aswell. Sighing, the fifteen year old girl touched her scar on her left arm. Mai flinched at the extra weight put on the tender skin. Slowly, Mai then touched her locket and searched deep inside herself. "I trust you've found your way here?" the familiar voice of Yue said.

"I guess so. Look, I need your help. I've been thinking about – "

"Zuko?" the spirit offered. Mai looked away. "He's been thinking a lot about you too."

"I doubt it."

"He has. He's confused at why you let him go."

"I don't know either. I didn't want to hurt him."

"Then don't. I believe if you think about this, part of you still loves Zuko."

"I know. I just feel confused."

"I know you're struggling between Azula or Zuko."

"I am not!" Mai snapped.

"Oh yes you are. You don't want to betray Azula but you also want to be with Zuko." Mai sighed in defeat.

"Could you help me make the decision?" she asked.

"No. I can't. Just remember that the option that appeals most to you isn't always the right one. Goodbye Mai."

"Goodbye Yue." With a flash, Mai was back in the real world.

"Wow, that helped," she said sarcastically.

* - * - * - *

Suki lay upwards on Sokka's chest. The couple looked at the stars. "I miss being a Kyoshi Warrior."

"Technically, you still are."

"I miss the uniforms and the face paint."

"I reckon you still look pretty without them though," Sokka said.

"That's so sweet."

"Are you two lovebirds gonna sleep or not?" Toph complained. Suki blushed.

"Does anyone feel like they _don't_ want to sleep?" Katara asked. There was a considerable amount of grumbles. "Then lets gather around the fire and talk."

"Let's have a topic," decided Toph. "I've got it! Who would you rather kiss?"

"That's stupid!" said Katara and Aang at the same time. The two blushed after their outburst.

"Okay, okay. I was only suggesting."

"What about, your favourite person in the world?" Sokka asked. Everybody shrugged half-heartedly.

"That's okay."

"We'll go in a circle starting with Zuko," said Toph. Everybody's gaze diverted to the prince.

"Um, my favourite person is my Uncle Iroh."

"That's sweet," said Katara. "My favourite person in the world is my brother. He's almost always looks out for me and I don't know what I would do if I didn't have him." Sokka grinned proudly.

"I don't know who my favourite person is but I know who my favourite _persons_ are," said Toph with a small smile. "You guys. You're the ones who saved me from living an ignored and secret life. Thanks, I owe you guys a lot."

It was until then that Zuko realised how together and strong the group was. Each person had a never-ending relationship with the other. Zuko looked down and smiled.

"My favourite person is … wait for it, wait for it!" said Sokka dramatically. Katara's eyes shone. "SUKI!" While Suki smiled affectionately, Katara hunched in disappointment. It wasn't until Sokka nudged Aang that he knew it was his turn.

"Oh um, my favourite person in the whole wide world is Monk Gyatso. He's helped me so much and given me such good advice. I'll never forget him." Out of the corner of his eye, Aang saw Zuko stir uncomfortably.

"My turn," said Suki. "My favourite person in the world is Ling." Sokka narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Who's Ling?" he asked.

"An old friend of mine who used to be a Kyoshi Warrior. It broke my heart when she left." Sokka relaxed at 'she'.

"Anybody feel tired?" asked Katara. No one answered. So the group kept talking.

**Ooh. Who's Mai going to choose? Azula or Zuko? The friend or the ex-boyfriend? What's going to happen now? I'm the author and even I don't know!!** **I'd like to give a special thanks to my mum who believes in my story.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar – The Last Airbender.**

**This chapter has a little bit about Zuko and his childhood … through a mirror.**

**Chapter eight – The Influence of a Mirror**

"We managed to track them down," said Azula. "They've gone north and I wonder why." Azula squinted as she looked through the telescope again. "Actually, I think we've just caught them on. There's their little camp. And they're still packing. Excellent. We'll pick a secluded place to land so that treacherous blind girl won't be able to feel us coming." The boat stopped moving as it hit the shore. The three girls walked stealthily over to the Avatar's campsite and crouched lowly behind a rock, observing the group below.

Mai's eyes narrowed as she saw Zuko hug the Water Tribe girl. "So he's gotten onto her, has he?" said Azula interestedly. The princess looked observant and thoughtful. "She's our bait to capturing Zuko. We'll capture the girl and bribe Zuko into coming and saving her. Then we ambush the lot of them."

"I'm sorry to displease you, but your plan won't work," said Mai stiffly while crossing her arms.

"Excuse me?" said the fourteen year old princess, raising an eyebrow.

"Zuko is not dating the Water Tribe girl."

"How would you know that?"

"Because I know him so well. Zuko doesn't date girls like her."

"Then what type of girls do you expect my brother to be dating?" joked Azula. Mai looked away.

"Girls like me."

There was a small chuckle. "But they are no girls like you, Mai. You are one of a kind. I actually came up with a name for symptoms like yours. Depressamonium. Fits, doesn't it?" The princess put her hands behind her back. "I've got the ultimate plan to victory."

"What is it?" Ty Lee was listening now.

"We'll use you."

"Who, me?" said Ty Lee, stunned.

"No. We'll use Mai. We'll tell Zuko that you've turned against us."

"Oh good luck convincing him," said Mai sarcastically.

"I have the perfect excuse. I saw what you did yesterday, Mai. You let Zuko go and I know why. First chances are sweet, but not as sweet as the second. What I mean is, you let Zuko once, then the second time he won't be expecting you to attack him but you do and he won't be prepared for it." Azula smirked triumphantly. "We won't attack today."

"Then when will we?" asked Ty Lee.

"In a few days, when it's not so obvious."

* - * - * - *

In his dream, Zuko stared into a mirror. He saw his family. He was ten and Azula was eight. His parents were actually happy back then. Ursa slowly put a hand on Zuko's shoulder with a smile. "I'll always be there for you," she said.

"No you won't!" yelled Zuko. But it was the ten year old Zuko who spoke, not him. "You left the Fire Nation without telling me!"

"Such lies, Zuko," said Ursa worriedly. "Where did you get them from?" In the mirror, his mother faded and only Zuko, Azula and Ozai remained.

"Your mother was a fool," Ozai said. "She was a fool for leaving us." Zuko found himself crying.

"She'll come back one day! She will!" Ozai laughed.

"She won't." The Fire Lord paused. "She can't." Ozai walked out of the mirror.

"What are you going to do?" sneered Azula. "Poor old mummy's gone!"

"How could you say that, Azula? She's our mother!" Zuko said defensively.

"Well, she never loved me. Most mums love _all_ their children." Then Azula was gone too. Zuko stared at his reflection. He wasn't a ten year old boy anymore. He was the sophisticated 16 year old teenager he was now. But his scar was gone. Zuko touched his left eye carefully and gasped when he felt how soft his left eye was. It was normal, just like the rest of his skin, not the usual leathery skin that marked his face.

"I told you I really hadn't gone," Ursa replied. She appeared next to Zuko. "You've been through so much and I'm proud of you, my son. I am the luckiest mother in the world to have you." Then, in Ursa's place stood Azula.

"I know that we fight a lot, Zu-Zu, but we're still brother and sister," she said smartly. "I know I haven't been the perfect sister over the years but I'd like you to know that I love you. It's not something I can easily express but … it's still there." Zuko was promptly left alone again before he saw the reflection of Yue in the mirror.

"Mai's been thinking about you a lot."

"Really?"

"Yes, she has."

"Why?"

"She worries about you. She worries about what will happen if Azula captures you."

"But she can't! This is a dream so there's no possible way it can be true!"

"Why can't it?" Yue asked. "If I can see Mai's dreams, why can't I enter them?"

"Zuko! Wake up!" Toph leant over the sleeping firebender. "Seriously! If he doesn't wake up this instant, I'll nickname him Sleepy Head!" the others laughed. Toph lifted a foot off the ground and stamped it back on. A huge thin rock protruded from the group and kicked Zuko in the back hardly.

"Ow!" Zuko said with a start. "What was that for?"

"Well, what do you know? Stop looking at me like that! Even though I can't see, I can feel it all!" Toph answered with a yell. "Now get up before you get a second kick and this time, it won't be your back!"

Katara and Aang returned from their trip to town just then. "This is great news guys!" said Katara, panting slightly. "I asked around and it looks like Pearl City is just a few days away," I said. Sokka sighed while he rubbed his neck.

"Remind me why we need to go to Pearl City," he said irritably. Momo flew onto his head and made an agreeing noise.

"Because, dumbo, Aang needs a firebending teacher," Katara said as if it was the most obvious thing. Everybody avoided Zuko's gaze meekly.

"But why Pearl City?" Sokka said again.

"I heard that there are many firebending masters there. We could just search the city and find Aang a teacher. Now let's get to town. We're two hours off schedule."

"You wear a necklace?" asked Toph.

"Of course I do!" replied Katara. "It was my mother's! She – "

"I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Zuko," Toph said snappily.

"But you can't see!" said Suki. Toph put her hands on her hips and wore a frown.

"I can feel it dangling off Zuko's neck."

Sokka sniggered. "Zuko wears a necklace?" he laughed. Zuko didn't seem to notice Sokka's joking tone.

"It's a locket, actually. The Moon Spirit gave it to me."

Sokka stopped laughing. The mirth faded from his face, only to be replaced by suspicion. "How do you know about Yue?" he asked.

"Just because Yue used to be your girlfriend, doesn't mean other's can't talk to her," said Katara irritably. "Now let's go!"

The next few minutes were devoted to a silent walk to the town of Nanashi. A teenage girl with a low ponytail stood outside a medicine shop. She wore a straw hat on her head and held a small matching basket at her feet. The teenager watched as Zuko, Aang, Katara, Suki, Sokka and Toph walked by. Suddenly, the girl reached out a hand and pulled Zuko back by his shirt. Aang watched in alarm while the rest of the group prepared themselves for a fight.

"I'm Song, remember?" The teenager lifted her straw hat. "I healed your uncle." Zuko shook his head in confusion. The group loosened up. "Don't you remember this?" Song squatted down and lifted up her right leg sleeve to reveal a long burn. Zuko was suddenly reminded of Mai.

"What do you want?" demanded Toph. She walked towards Song in a boyish gait. Suddenly, there was a groan behind Toph. Zuko was on his knees clutching his head. The locket he wore was glowing. "It's the necklace!" Toph yelled. "Take it off him!"

"No," croaked Zuko. "Leave it. Either Yue or Mai are trying to contact me." Then Zuko fell to the ground twitching.

"We meet again," said a familiar voice. Zuko looked up to see Yue. "I don't have much time to tell you this. Avatar Roku intends to meet you in the Spirit World tonight."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask but he mentioned something about firebending."

"Why firebending?"

"Maybe because – " Zuko felt soft hands shake his shoulders continually. Zuko opened his eyes to find himself in the mortal world, Yue nowhere to be seen. Instead, Katara leant over him and Toph had his locket in one hand.

"Hey! Why did you take it off?" Zuko demanded.

"I wouldn't of if you didn't look like you were about to pee yourself," Toph said defensively. "Come on. Let's keep on walking." The gaang continued walking the streets and found that they were almost deserted. Katara soon found out why. A huge crowd was gathered around a wooden pole.

"Excuse me, sir, what's all the attention for?" Katara asked an elderly man who was leaving the crowd.

"Oh, something about a someone betraying another someone about something," he replied good-naturedly. The group pushed through the crowd so they had a better view of what was going on. Tied to the pole was a girl no older than Zuko with long ebony hair. She wore a ragged red top and pants.

"I thought I'd never see something like this come from you," said a familiar voice. Azula had a dark scowl on her face. Ty Lee stood next to Azula, her usual happy face now a sad one. Zuko was hesitant. If Ty Lee and Azula were here, where was Mai? Zuko's question was answered quickly.

"It's obvious," said Mai. She was the one tied to the pole. Katara covered her mouth with both hands in disbelief. Aang, Suki, Toph and Sokka looked at Zuko warily.

"It's not obvious!" roared Azula. "Why would you let Zuko go when he was right under your nose?"

"Because I love him more than you thin," replied Mai. "Zuko is more than what you think. He's someone you never will understand."

"No, I understand perfectly! You just wanted all that famousness by dating Zuko. What about Ben?" sneered Azula. Zuko found himself waiting anxiously for Mai's answer.

"Zuko is different to Ben. I have to have him in my life."

"You didn't have Zuko in your life for three years! During his banishment! Both you and Zuko are fools! You brought this fate on yourselves!" The golden-eyed princess glared coldly at her former friend.

"Zuko wasn't gone completely during his banishment. I had hope," said Mai. She looked up for the first time.

"Had hope? Oh, I'll demolish your hope!" Azula made circular movements with her arms and lightning began to crackle. Zuko's mind whizzed uncomfortably as he thought what to do next.

**Haha! I love torturing you guys!! I haven't decided completely on what Zuko will do. **_**Do you guys want Zuko and Mai back together??**_** Tell me your point of view from a review please.**


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